Miss USA 1971 was the 20th Miss USA pageant, televised live by CBS hosted by Bob Barker from the Jackie Gleason Auditorium in Miami Beach, Florida on May 22, 1971. The pageant was won by Michele McDonald of Pennsylvania, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Deborah Shelton of Virginia. McDonald was the first – and to date only – woman from Pennsylvania to win the Miss USA title, and went on to place as a semi-finalist at Miss Universe 1971. For the 1971 pageant, the number of semi-finalists called was reduced from 15 to 12. It would remain at this number until 1984, when it was cut again to 10. Results {| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;" |- !Final Results !Contestant |- |Miss USA 1971 | Pennsylvania – Michele McDonald † |- |1st Runner-Up| Texas – Brenda Box |- |2nd Runner-Up| Arizona – Susanne Pottenger |- |3rd Runner-Up| Missouri – Nancy Rich |- |4th Runner-Up| Kentucky –Patricia Barnstable |- |Top 12| California – Karin Morrell District of Columbia – Suzanne Pluskoski Florida – Susan Deaton Maryland – Carol Theis Michigan – Pat Glannan Vermont – Sandra Taft Virginia – Brenda Miller |} † Indicates contestant Is deceased Special awards Historical significance Pennsylvania wins competition for the first time and surpasses its previous highest placement in 1967. Also becoming in the 17th state who does it for the first time. Texas earns the 1st runner-up position for the third time. The last time it placed this was in 1964. Arizona earns the 2nd runner-up position for the first time. Missouri earns the 3rd runner-up position for the first time. Kentucky earns the 4th runner-up position for the second time. The last time it placed this was in 1964. States that placed in semifinals the previous year were California, District of Columbia, Florida, Texas and Virginia. California placed for the fifteenth consecutive year. Virginia placed for the fifth consecutive year. Florida and Texas placed for the third consecutive year. District of Columbia made its second consecutive placement. Arizona and Vermont last placed in 1969. Maryland and Michigan last placed in 1968. Missouri and Pennsylvania last placed in 1967. Kentucky last placed in 1965. South Carolina breaks an ongoing streak of placements since 1969. New York and Washington break an ongoing streak of placements since 1968. Nevada breaks an ongoing streak of placements since 1967. Delegates The Miss USA 1971 delegates were: Alabama -